1-18-12: Crowdsourcing Solar Power

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wypr/local-wypr-1000299.mp3The town of University Park, Maryland, is a small, tree-lined community located close to its more well-known neighbor, College Park. Residents of the town wanted to invest in solar energy – but the amount of shade in the town made that difficult. So, a group of people decided to pool their money and install panels on top of a local church.

In the process, the group formed the University Park Community Solar LLC. Individual members could buy in starting with $2,000. They they sell the energy to the church at a rate slightly lower than the local utility. Then, the company sells excess power back to the grid at wholesale prices.

Those who bought in can expect to make the investment back in 7 years – and then receive an 8 percent return in about 20. That’s similar to the return you’d get from investing in a certificate of deposit, or CD.